Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

In middle school and throughout my freshman year of high school, I struggled with low self-esteem. I became depressed and began to withdraw into isolation. No one was aware of the burdens that I carried. I attempted to turn to dance as a positive outlet. However, I faced many challenges as an African American male dancer. I was constantly humiliated for practicing ballet techniques. Furthermore, my family intended for me to pursue a different interest. Not having my family’s complete support affected me negatively. This led me to engage in self-doubt and experience imposter syndrome whenever I felt I was improving. It was not until I built up the courage to attend my first audition that my life reached a turning point. The director/founder of Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center stated that she “saw something in me." This was the start of a new trajectory in dance. I began to not let my self-doubt or the opinions of others hinder my ability to persevere and succeed. A week after my audition I was awarded a full scholarship to perform at the school. I realized that taking the initiative and following my passion for dance could open up doors of opportunity. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

In middle school and throughout my freshman year of high school, I struggled with low self-esteem. I became depressed and began to withdraw into isolation. No one was aware of the burdens that I carried. I attempted to turn to dance as a positive outlet. However, I faced many challenges as an African American male dancer. I was constantly humiliated for practicing ballet techniques. Furthermore, my family intended for me to pursue a different interest. Not having my family’s complete support affected me negatively. This led me to engage in self-doubt and experience imposter syndrome whenever I felt I was improving. It was not until I built up the courage to attend my first audition that my life reached a turning point. The director/founder of Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center stated that she “saw something in me." This was the start of a new trajectory in dance. I began to not let my self-doubt or the opinions of others hinder my ability to persevere and succeed. A week after my audition I was awarded a full scholarship to perform at the school. I realized that taking the initiative and following my passion for dance could open up doors of opportunity. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public. I have decided to pursue dance due to the exceptional teachers and mentors who have guided me. Their teachings have exposed me to new ideas and perspectives, allowing me to approach things differently. Their influence has been instrumental in keeping me motivated to continue with dance. Equipped with the tools and techniques I have learned from them, I am now inspired to share my knowledge with others and bring positive change to my community. I aim to achieve this by teaching others about the arts and its benefits, as well as imparting the discipline and techniques necessary for success and personal growth. Specifically, I aspire to help young children in elementary and middle school find their voice, become the best version of themselves, and provide them with the support and encouragement they need to thrive. Moreover, I am keenly aware that some individuals do not have access to these resources and techniques, and I desire to give back by helping them develop into the individuals they aspire to be.

Malachi Kingston(He/Him) is a 17-year-old Student working to reach my goals. I have trained and am training in a variety of genres including ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, hip-hop, etc. He is an upcoming choreographer and loves to share what he has with the world. I am a part of the DanceLab New York NextGen program where I get to create and grow my choreographic skills. I have trained at Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center and Harlem School of The Arts. I strive to be the best I can be in all aspects of my life and am focused on what I want to accomplish. I strive to be the best person I can be in every situation and challenge I am faced with. I am a high school senior and going to be an incoming college freshman. I will be attending SUNY Purchase College as a dance major. Attending this college is hard for me financially because to hard to pay close to 20,000 every semester with no financial help and support from others. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

In middle school and throughout my freshman year of high school, I struggled with low self-esteem. I became depressed and began to withdraw into isolation. No one was aware of the burdens that I carried. I attempted to turn to dance as a positive outlet. However, I faced many challenges as an African American male dancer. I was constantly humiliated for practicing ballet techniques. Furthermore, my family intended for me to pursue a different interest. Not having my family’s complete support affected me negatively. This led me to engage in self-doubt and experience imposter syndrome whenever I felt I was improving. It was not until I built up the courage to attend my first audition that my life reached a turning point. The director/founder of Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center stated that she “saw something in me." This was the start of a new trajectory in dance. I began to not let my self-doubt or the opinions of others hinder my ability to persevere and succeed. A week after my audition I was awarded a full scholarship to perform at the school. I realized that taking the initiative and following my passion for dance could open up doors of opportunity. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

In middle school and throughout my freshman year of high school, I struggled with low self-esteem. I became depressed and began to withdraw into isolation. No one was aware of the burdens that I carried. I attempted to turn to dance as a positive outlet. However, I faced many challenges as an African American male dancer. I was constantly humiliated for practicing ballet techniques. Furthermore, my family intended for me to pursue a different interest. Not having my family’s complete support affected me negatively. This led me to engage in self-doubt and experience imposter syndrome whenever I felt I was improving. It was not until I built up the courage to attend my first audition that my life reached a turning point. The director/founder of Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center stated that she “saw something in me." This was the start of a new trajectory in dance. I began to not let my self-doubt or the opinions of others hinder my ability to persevere and succeed. A week after my audition I was awarded a full scholarship to perform at the school. I realized that taking the initiative and following my passion for dance could open up doors of opportunity. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.

Dance education has impacted my life in so many ways. I struggled with low self-esteem. I became depressed and began to withdraw into isolation. No one was aware of the burdens that I carried. I attempted to turn to dance as a positive outlet. However, I faced many challenges as an African American male dancer. I was constantly humiliated for practicing ballet techniques. Furthermore, my family intended for me to pursue a different interest. Not having my family’s complete support affected me negatively. This led me to engage in self-doubt and experience imposter syndrome whenever I felt I was improving. It was not until I built up the courage to attend my first audition that my life reached a turning point. The director/founder of Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center stated that she “saw something in me." This was the start of a new trajectory in dance. I began to not let my self-doubt or the opinions of others hinder my ability to persevere and succeed. A week after my audition I was awarded a full scholarship to perform at the school. I realized that taking the initiative and following my passion for dance could open up doors of opportunity. Pursuing dance has been a life-changing experience that has enabled me to develop an open mindset. Dance is a form of expression, healing, spiritual connection and therapy. Most importantly, dance turned my self-doubt into self-affirmation. Dance has given me a voice without words. It motivates me to connect with people around me. Dance is now a refuge that guards me from the judgment of others. Dance has instilled qualities in me that I have been able to apply to different aspects of my life. It has allowed me to develop character, discipline, responsibility and the ability to work with others collaboratively. Most importantly, as I begin to teach others, dance has equipped me with leadership skills. Dance ignited my creative imagination which led me to teach my choreographic works. My works have empowered me to advocate for others who face challenges with their identity and mental health. Dance is a platform that I want to use throughout my life to help others. I am certain that these characteristics will allow me to thrive while pursuing post-secondary education. Double majoring in dance and business will equip me with the knowledge and resources that are essential to start my dance studio and ultimately a dance company. I want to make an impact here in New York through dance. Becoming a successful African American male dancer will enable me to influence both the dance community and the general public.